Coffee-percolator.



G.' HATHMAN. COFFEE PERCoLAToR. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23, I9I6.

Patented May 15, 191?.

i nase,

COFFEE-PERGOLATDR.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT RATHMAN, a citizen of the United States, `and resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coffee- Percolators,A .of which 4the following is a specification.

This invention relates to coee percolators, and is especially adapted for use in connection with large percolators employed in lunch-rooms, restaurants and the like, for making co'ee in large quantities.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a percolator having means for creating a circulation of. the water used in making the coffee, through thel ground coffee in the coffee bag.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of means for regulating the number of times the li uid shall be circulated through the groun coffee inthe coifee bag, in order that co'ee of uniform quality and strength maybe made.

A further `object of the invention is the provision of a system of piping through which the liquid is drawn from the lower portion of the coffee receptacle and discharged into the coifee bagr at the upper end of the coHee receptacle or tank, sai piping system having a pump therein for creating a forced circulation of the liquid through the piping. An important feature of my invention consists in the provision of a centrifugal pump forcirculating the liquid, and arranging the piping system and pump so that coee will not be trapped in the circ lating system but will drain downwardly therethrough to the dischar e faucet of the percolator as the level of t e coffee in the coeereceptacle falls. A i

, A further object of the invention is the provision of a centrifugal liquid-forcing pump soconstructed that coffee-will drain therethrough when the pump is stationary, and so arranging the driving connections and the bearin s for the pump shaft that the employment of packing and stuling boxes at points where the packing would come in contact with the celibe, is avoided.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 is a side eleva- Specication of Letters Patent. Vapplication led october 23,

chamber 10.

Patented May 15, 191'?. 191e. serial ne. iaaosa tion, partly in vertical section, of the percolator; and V Fig. 2 a detail vertical sectional view through the pump chamber and pump.

eferring to the various parts by numerals, ldesignates the outer casing or hot water tank of the percolator, having the usual removable top 2 and the inner coffee recepe top of which is suptacle or tank 3, at th ported the bag .4 for holding the ground cofl'ee.

At the bottom of the inner coffee receptacle 3 is an outlet 5 leading to a Tftting 6, to one branch of which is connected a horizontal pipe 7 extending outwardly through the caslng l and provided at its outer end ing 1 and is connected at its outer end to the bottoniof a chamber or pump casing 10. A vertical pipe 11 is connected at its lower end with the top of the chamber 10, and at its upper end with a fitting 12 to which -is connected the outer end of a horizontal pipe 13 which extends through the wall of the casing 1 and terminates in a downwardly turned nozzle 14 at a point above the coffee ba 4.

Mounted on the top of the fitting 12 is an electric motor 15,. preferably inclosed in -a suitable casing 16. The rotor of the motor is connected with a vertical drive shaft 17 extending downwardly through the fitting 12 and pipe 11 and connected at its lower y end to a centrifugal pump 18 mounted in the provided at the point where the pumpshaft passes through the wall of the fitting 12, and it will be observed that this stuffing box is above the highest level attained by the coffee. v

I prefer to construct the pump in the form of a horizontally disposed rotor having an axial inlet 2O in its lower face and la series ofradial outlet passages 21 communicating with said inlet at their inner ends, and with the periphery yof the rotor at their discharge ends. The lower face of the rotor is provided with a depending hollow hub 22, journaled A suitable stuling box 19 is loo in a bearing 23 in the casing 10.-v Thecasing l is divided vinto f two 'compartments by va horizontalplate or the edge thereof adjacent diaphragm 24 iextending across the chamber above the pump. The diaphragm 24: is provided with a series of apertures25y around length of time the motor shall run at each tom of the coffee .i the piping the use of packing tion from the operator being required.

operation.

lt will be obvious-that by setting the time switch so that it will stop the motor after it has run a predetermined time, it 1s possible for the operator to make coffee of the desired strength by simply placing the proper to close the motor circuit, no further atten- This' not only results in a saving of the time of the attendant, coee of the desired quality. I prefer to employ a time switch which may be set to stop the motor after it has run for periods of varying lengths, so that theliquid may be circulated through the ground coffee as long as may lbe desired.

It will be observed that by the construction shown and described I have provided means for drawing the liquid from the bottank and discharging it into the coffee bag. An .important feature of the invention consists in the constructionr and .arrangement of the circulating apparatus so that no coffee will be trapped in the circulating system where it would become sour and stale and affect the quality and flavor of coifee subsequently -made in the percolator. It will be observed that all of of the circulating system is above the outlet of the vdischarge faucet, and that the coee will drain down through the piping and pump.A to the discharge faucet as the coffee is drawn 0E. The pump -.is con-V -structed so as to allow the coii'ee inthe pipe 11 to drain therethrough, thelevel of the coffee in the pipe being always the same as the coffee level in the receptacle 3.

Byarranging the pump and its driving apparatus as shown, with the pump shaft extending upwardly through the circulating pipe and connected to a motor mounted at one side of the percolator at a point above the highest point attainable by the coifee, for the pump shaft at points below the codec level is avoided.' By so mounting the motor and drive shaft, conp .naacpot to the wall of the the liquid discharged v tank is drained amount of ground coEee and water in the percolator and throwing the switch but insures the-making of.

- above thecoee bag,

lating conduit having anunobstructed. passaid pump leakage switch, or affect the'oper avoided.

tion thereof, 4is

What ll claim is z` l i l. in a co'ee percolator, the combination.

. tact ofthe coffee with thepacking is avoided.` f and, `moreover, dangerof at points likely to cause injuryto the motor and time lower portion of 'said tank and terminating' at a point above the codec bag, a pump 1n saidconduit having an unobstructed liquid passage therethrough, and means for driving said pump to draw liquid from the tank and return it thereto through the codec bag,

and a codee cpd-take connected with the lower end of said tank, whereby when the through said od-take, the pumpand conduit are also drained.

2. ln a coee percolator, the combination of a casing, a liquid receptacle'therein having an open top,

a codee bag supported atl the top of said receptacle, a codec od-take connected at one end with the lower portion of the receptacle through the casing, a liquid circulating conduit connected at its lower end with said od-take and extending upwardly to a point a pump in said circufor operating to draw liquid from the lower portion of said receptacle and return it thereto through the coEee bag, and time-controlled means for automatically stopping sage therethrough, a motor said motor after a predetermined period of A. operation.'

' 3. In a `coffee percolator, the combinatio of a casing, a liquid receptacle therein having 4an open' .upper end,

ported over said receptacle, a coffee off-take connected at one end with the lower portionof said receptacle and having a faucet at its outer end, a 'vertically .extending liquid circulating conduit connected at its vlower end with said off-take, and having a lateral extension on its .upper end adapted to discharge the liquid into the coee bag, a rotary pump in said'circulating conduit havving an unobstructed liquid passage there` through, an electric motor for operating said pump, and a time-controlled switch for automatically stopping said motor after a predetermined period of operation.

4f. In a. coffee percolator, the combination of a casing, a liquid receptacle .therein having anopen upper end, a coffee bag supported over said receptacle, a coffee off-take connected at one end with the lower` portion of said receptacle .and having a faucetfat its outer end, a verticallyextending liquid circulating conduit connected at its lower end with said off-take, and having a lateral eX- tension on its upper end adapted to disa coil-Tee bag supand extending laterally 'charge the liquid into the coffee bag, a horifzontally disposed rotary pump mounted in vertically extending conduit and havlng an vunobstructed passage therethrough, a drive shaft connected at its lower end to said pump and extending upwardly through the upper end` of said vertical conduit, and` 'an electric motor supported above the upper end of said vertical conduit and connected with the upper end of said pump shaft to 10 drive the pump. y

In testimonywhereof I hereunto aEX my signature. 4

GILBERT RATHMAN. 

